7th Goodguys Great Northwest Nationals - Winning In Washington

This last August I had the pleasure of taking my first trip to the great state of Washington to attend the Goodguys 7th Annual Great Northwest Nationals in Spokane. Once I touched down in Spokane, I found I was in for a bit of a surprise-it was hot! For one reason or another, I assumed Spokane was on the other side of Washington-the cool side-but the 100-degree weather didn't seem to put a damper on a spectacular weekend thanks to a lack of humidity and plenty of sunshine.

After checking into my hotel, I went out to forage for food and check out the city. Spokane is Washington's second largest city and is still filled with nostalgic brick buildings, many of which have recently undergone much renovation to revitalize the Lilac City. Spokane is also home to quite a bit of manufacturing and agricultural industry, which is shared with nearby Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The World's Fair was even held here back in 1974-the smallest city at the time to host the expo-and many of the structures built for it can still be seen today.

The Great Northwest Nationals isn't one of Goodguys' biggest shows, but it does attract over 1,200 fine entries from surrounding states, including a large number of folks from Canada. This diversity gave us a chance to see a good number of trucks we normally wouldn't get the opportunity to photograph. The event also attracts folks who can't make it out west to the Goodguys' show in Puyallup, Washington, a few weeks prior. Aside from our coveted CLASSIC TRUCKS Finest Five awards, the tireless Goodguys staff picks out what has to be over 100 other awards, and as always, there are special parking areas like Homebuilt Heaven, Mighty Muscle ('55-72), Young Guys, Goodguys Pro's Picks, Ya Gotta Drive 'Em to Get There, and of course, our favorite, the Trick Truck Corral.

So get your truck whipped into shape this winter and prepare yourself for the 2009 season-it's gonna be a good one! For more info on past and future Goodguys events, go to www.good-guys.com.